


Second Thoughts

by Basilico



Category: One Piece
Genre: Humor, M/M, Memories, Past, Sweet, Wholesome, kids fooling around
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-21 12:35:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30021864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Basilico/pseuds/Basilico
Summary: When he was a kid, Buggy started reading a fantasy book in which the seas were seven, and there were five continents, and some people took off for insanely long ship voyages to hunt down whales.A pretty imaginative reality indeed; but among chores, battles and spare time, it took Buggy years to finish the story.At least that's what Shanks thinks so; because last time he asked, Buggy was around twenty chapter short, and then Roger died and they parted ways.Also the book chat is clearly an excuse to trace down their opinions about parting ways in the future.
Relationships: Akagami no Shanks | Red-Haired Shanks/Buggy
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	Second Thoughts

**Author's Note:**

> I think y'all can guess what book I'm talking about.
> 
> I meant this as a short list of dialogue exchanges, but I'm way happier with the final result. There's so much fantasy going on!

**-Oi Buggy.**

**-What is it?**

****-Did you ever manage to finish that book of yours?** **

* * *

"Redhead come on, you're not even trying!"  
Buggy, twelve years old, jumped up on the ship's lifeboat as he stomped both feet out of frustration. A couple of short strands peeked out from his multicoloured beanie, and the boat rocked due to the sudden movement.

Shanks cocked his head to the side, a puzzled expression plastered on his face. He placed both hands on his hips and stood still on the deck.  
"It's because you're not making any sense dummy".

"You of all people should be able to understand! Use a bit of imagination for God's sake".  
As he spoke, the kid reached for Shanks and offered him a boost up. The redhead accepted the help mostly because he'd never seen his friend so worked up on something that didn't concern money.

With a groan and a little much strain, both kids now stood on the narrow stern of the lifeboat. The little space dividing them made Shanks feel a little uneasy, but Buggy barely noticed.  
"Now picture this redhead" the kid drew his scrawny arms forward, palms spread open. "You're the first mate, the longboat here is full of sweaty sailors who are rowing like there's no tomorrow".

That was nothing like a longboat, but Shanks tried to piece the image together nonetheless.  
Buggy wrapped his arm around Shanks' shoulders, kept him very close and pointed at a random spot on the horizon as though he was trying to share his point of view.  
"You're at sea, going after a legitimate sea monster, a leviathan who's both runnin- well swimming for their life and trying to bring you down with them in the worst possible scenario".

The kid somehow managed to jump all the way to the bow, as he placed his left foot on the very edge of the boat and drew his arm up as if he were holding a spear.  
"The boat is light, hell! Maybe too frail to face a beast such as the one you're onto; and it slides fast on the tides, so fast you're not even sure it does touch the water, and the harponeers are here, ready to jump at your command, holding onto their harpoons like their life depends on it. And you wanna know the best part?" Buggy turned towards the redhead with bright, shining eyes.

"It does!"

At that point, a flebile fire started to burn within Shanks' chest. It did sound exciting.  
Again, Buggy leaped until he crashed against the other cabin boy, who didn't have the time to complain, for his friend was again facing the length of the longboat.

"And you, as the first mate Shanks, are here to shout, and hype up each and every person in here. Even when the boat leaps up in the sky, and then back down, and the wind cuts your face, and the water splashes inside- no, soaks you entirely so that for a split of second you're cut away from the world; even then you're standing there, fast on your feet, clenching the drawbar and talking like you know how it's going to end when clearly you don't".

Buggy placed his fists on his hips, chest forward, shoulders back.  
"Just imagine Shanks! You're here, and the monster is getting away, and you can't let that happen, and you shout:'Rows, rows! For God's sake guys buckle up!-"  
At that moment, their ship disappeared along with every member of the crew; it was just Shanks, Buggy and some blurry silhouettes as rowers, and they were all on a longboat that didn't so much sail as fly.

"Snap folks! C'mon down on the rows; forget about your backs! Scrape! Scratch!" Buggy kept talking, but Shanks felt as though those words had just come out of his own mouth. Yes, they were in a chase, and he was the first mate; the drawbar tight in his hand, and the other kid...

"Buggy!" he called out, making the cabin boy twist around.

A smirk rose on the redhead's expression, as he lowered his stance like he was at sea, trying not to fall overboard. God did that tickle inside!  
"Get ready to jump!".

All those sudden movements kept on going the sway of the small lifeboat there on the deck.

"Are they playing pretend?". Crocus couldn't help but smile at the sight.

A chuckle came from Silver Rayleigh.  
"I think they are. I'm glad they're still able to".

The Leviathan dived under, and caused a wave bigger than both first mate and harponeer had expected.  
"Hold tight!" Shanks cried out as everyone on board jumped from their seats, fluttering in the hair for a split of second. And there, as the boat rose, Shanks understood the beast was about to jump out again, thus he gave the order.

"NOW BUGGY!".

On imagination games it's crucial to have an agreement, and to give each party an input. For instance, both kids were on the same page about Shanks being the first mate and Buggy having to jump up and cast his imaginary spear towards the Leviathan; but did he get it? Did he miss it? Buggy knew the beast was a whale, or still whale-shaped, Shanks had no idea, thus pictured a sea king instead.

"We got it!" Buggy squirmed.

"Now what?" Shanks came out of character for a second to ask a very fair question.

"Now" Buggy turned towards the first mate, as the world was revolting around them "we fight for our life".  
The clown's heart begun to hammer in his chest all out of the sudden, because Shanks' glare lightened up so much it looked as though he was about to explode.

The harpoon struck the beast, and Buggy held the wire with all the strength he had. The two kids kept on shouting, and moving and jumping like the small lifeboat was their personal merry go round.  
They were moving so frantically that their little vessel swung to the side of the deck and almost flipped over. That of course was the whale, that turned around in a sharp bend, hoping their suitors would be thrown at sea.

But Shanks wrapped around the drawbar even if his whole body lost to gravity. His temple was extremely close to the edge, as their boat cut the water and held the curve splendidly. Buggy started floating, of course he was reliable! The redhead just had to worry about the rest of his bunch: the side closer to the sea swept and worked and strained trying to keep the rowing going; while the other side soundly held onto anything they could. That fury, that danger, that thrill, THAT was what Shanks wanted to feel for the rest of his existence.

"And now that we have it?" the redhead got up and walked up to Buggy. Ok, he broke their unspoken roles, but the curiosity was just unbearable.

"Now we take the whale-"

"Whale?" Shanks sounded disappointed. "Why the heck should anyone hunt down a whale?".

"Well, in my book they use everything: the meat, the bones, and most importantly the oil".

the redhead started once again to fly away with his imagination. Bones to... build something? Oh perhaps those fake legs that pirates in books sometimes had! The meat of course to eat, although he wasn't sure it would taste as good as sea king's, and then obviously the oil. The oil?

"The oil?".

"It says they use it to power lanterns, and for a whole lot of products, but sailors of course take it for far more admirable purposes". Buggy pulled off a grin that went from cheek to cheek, as his eyes cast a look of chemistry on Shanks. What could it be? The older cabin boy was already picturing magic spells and ancient recipes.

"For example? What for?" he asked, jumping on his feet for the excitement.

Buggy's eyes became starry, "To sell of course!" and after that statement, all the fantasy world around Shanks turned into dust, as his face and mood dropped under the ground.  
He should have expected it after all.

"That's it, I'm not talking to you for the rest of the day" he said after drawing a long sigh.

"WHAT?".

That didn't stop the redhead from jumping off the lifeboat and walk away on the deck with his hands in his pockets.  
"You ruined the mood, pal"

"SINCE WHEN MONEY CAN POSSIBLY RUIN THE MOOD?".

* * *

****-What book?** **

****-Oh of course, I should have been more precise. The one about the whales, the one you didn't finish on the Oro Jackson.** **

****-Oh that one! I do remember yeah, I was-** **

****-Twenty chapters short, I know.** **

* * *

"Say Buggy, what kind of captain would you like to become?". It was late at night on the Oro Jackson, and yet there was not a person who fell asleep willingly: it was Buggy's birthday after all. To turn fourteen when he should have been at least seventeen in order to sail felt like no change at all.

"Well let's see" the birthday boy crossed his arms and looked up at the starry sky. He and Shanks had many hiding spots around the ship, but fortunately that night the quarterdeck was completely free, and the two kids could sit on the pavement and lean back against the banister. While Buggy had had his fair share of terribly overloaded dishes, his friend was still feasting on a plate full of riches.

"I want to find every treasure in the world, but once I've succeeded, I think I will settle down and start some business that'll keep me rich the rest of my life". The younger kid answered, as he shot a look that wasn't so much condescending as legitimately concerned.

"And for a moment there I thought you were going on a never ending scavenger hunt like every good pirate would". Shanks closed his eyes and exhaled, just to notice that suspicious stare in his direction.

Buggy blinked as his friend frowned, then held that culinary monstrosity closer to his chest and hindered it by twisting his body away.  
"No, no way. I'm starving! I swear if you get any closer I will bite you".

The clown knew that wasn't a void threat.

"You know, that wouldn't be so bad actually, the never ending voyage I mean". Buggy couldn't help but think about that night, a couple years back, in which Shanks had officially decided they were bound to be enemies as captains of different crews, and have different adventures, and only meet to battle. He'd never liked that idea, he'd never cared about any of the so called pirate-rules if not for the ones concerning undoubted freedom and complete neglect of authorities. "But I'll need something that yearns for me while I'm around the world".

The redhead scoffed, "you're unbelievable" he managed to mumble with his mouth full, as chewed bits of food escaped his lips.

Shanks was too focused on Buggy to actually guard on his plate, and because of that he did not notice the detached hand hovering around the dish up until it had snatched what seemed to be a handful of trimmed vegetables, fish and was it vinegar?

"Buggy you bastard!" At that moment, Shanks would have loved to be able to split in pieces, so that he could have stopped the other kid while keeping the rest of his meal safe, floating in the air. Instead he could only turn around and face the most cheeky smirk on earth.  
It was just a bite he was going to lose; but it was a matter of principle, and Shanks only had one strategy in mind.

"I spat on that, Buggy" he said, the moment the clown had just opened his mouth.

He'd hoped for a different answer than the "so what?" Buggy gave out before shoving that mixture in his mouth. It shouldn't have tasted sweet, nor hot, nor sour all at the same time; but it did, and Buggy had to pretend it didn't. 

"Although I could just keep the industry going on my ship" The younger one said, as he leaned on Shanks' shoulder -which was a very fair alternative to any soft pillow- hoping the other kid wouldn't punch him in the face.

"How so?" that came out snappy and rude, but at least it wasn't a punch.

"Well in the book for example they have a furnace, and the following days after they capture a whale are dedicated to the oil extraction" -Shanks rolled his eyes and stopped listening for good. Ok, fine, it was Buggy's birthday, but to stay put and listen about a book that talked about WHALES (not sea monsters, not unexplored lands, WHALES) at that time of the night wasn't very much compelling- "and in the end the oil barrels stay in the hold for years! The crew itself doesn't even stop".

That last bit, the redhead heard very clearly.  
"What do you mean they don't stop?".

Oh he shouldn't have asked.  
"I mean they're constantly at sea! A pirate ship can meet sixty different seaports and the whale-ship will still be out exploring. Could you imagine Shanks? One month we're in the North blue, next thing you know we're in the South, and then the Grand line! All without having to meet anyone, no one to bother us within miles for almost a full year.

The redhead became gloom all out of the sudden at the mere thought of all that loneliness- no, the loneliness was fine, especially if he were to be around people like Buggy; but to constantly gaze upon a plate of water was a whole different matter.  
He was just about to point out how that still came from a fantasy book, when the birthday boy looked at the tides and talked again.

"You know, if instead of a business, I could hunt sunken treasures I could do it, the endless voyage you were talkin' about. But it's not a real possibility anymore".

The redhead had expected a "is it?" to end that sentence; but it was clear the clown didn't want any compassion, nor reassuring words, nor solutions to his life dream being shattered.  
Silence lingered, as Shanks put his plate down to his side, then looked down at his friend in an excited smile, as made up as it may have seemed.

"And what if someone needs to get in touch with the crew?" he asked, trying to take Buggy away from his melancholic state.

"Well" the younger one collected his thoughts, as Shanks hoped in the lack of an answer so that they could pull together one, fly away with their imagination and create a wordy, incredible conspiracy theory.

But an answer did come.  
"There is no post system, no seagulls nor pelicans that deliver the paper around the world; so whoever set sails takes letters in every port, and sometimes trades with other ships they meet around the world. This means that if you were to wish me a happy birthday for when I'm twenty, it could be possible for me to receive that letter in my forties".

The older kid felt his stomach drop, and no, it wasn't because of what he'd just gobbled.  
"You know what, I guess I'll play pretend with that" he whispered mostly to himself.

The clown furrowed his brow, then turned to face his favourite cabin boy.  
"What?".

A wry smile rose on Shanks' cheeks. "When we're captains of our respective ships, I'll pretend seagulls don't deliver private letters, and that every birthday of mine you write one, hoping it'll come to me somehow" he started to play with a couple of strands from Buggy's ponytail. "You know, just in case we won't be able to battle every year, and I can imagine I'm still on your mind, it's just that the merchant vessel you gave my letter went down in the ocean".

Buggy promptly turned back around, then crossed his arms tight to the chest.  
"You wouldn't have to do this if you came with me instead" he said.

At that, the redhead froze.  
"So you DO want me with you!" he said, grinning.

The clown split in pieces to face him, as he destroyed their leaning-touchy arrangement.  
"I TOLD YOU I want you with me! You'd be a hell of a good first mate!".

"But that's the thing, I don't want to be your first mate, idiot!" Shanks rose his voice, as the grin still lingered on his lips, like he was explaining something that was just meant to be.

"FINE!" Buggy shouted, red in the face, as the pieces of his body suddenly went up and down again. "But I swear if you ever, ever change your mind, I'm gonna say no".

"Do whatever you want, I don't care" the redhead said. It was so nice to see Buggy freak out like that he couldn't possibly keep a straight face. There was however still something that could easily throw the clown off the rails even more.

As Buggy was to start again one of his rants, Shanks firmly clasped both his cheeks and pulled him in for a smack.  
The second they parted ways, the younger kid had eyes wide open, and his mouth slowly closed in a tight line.

"Now I'm gonna kill you" was the ghastly whisper that Buggy pulled off, and that made Shanks fear for his life at the point of making him unable to stop smiling.  
Oh had to run now, but was it worth it!

Probably the longest chase of their lives. Both literally and figuratively.

* * *

**\- To be fair I had put it down for years before I picked it up again. I told myself I had to wait.**

****-And why is that?** **

****-Because I used to tell you all the parts I liked. To finish it alone didn't feel right. Maybe I thought we could do it together one day.** **

****-But you couldn't resist. Curiosity killed the cat, my dear.** **

* * *

"Buggy, move" Shanks groaned. His eyes shut, his hat on a chest on the other side of the room, as he and Buggy tried to overcome the breath taking heat of that day by laying half naked on the pavement.

Buggy had had the good sense of putting on a bandana in order to keep his long hair away from the back of his neck.  
"What for?" he mumbled absently, as he turned the pages of that enormous book of his. He wasn't giving much attention to Shanks, it was his problem if he couldn't stand that weather. 

"Maybe your spot is colder" he really sounded desperate. But that desperation didn't stop him from wrapping his arms around Buggy's torso, and pressing his lips on the back of his neck. It tasted salty.

"It isn't" the clown answered in a flat voice. His brow furrowed after a glance at the chapter title.

As silence lingered between them, the older kid had a view of the yellowish, wordy pages that the clown was slipping trough his fingers. Now heat didn't matter anymore, did it?  
Shanks' eyes flickered as he read that "chapter CX" right on top of the left page.  
"How long do you have left?".

Buggy placed his left thumb as a bookmark, then flipped all the way to the summary.  
"Well let's see" his eyes traveled down the list. "About twenty-five chapters to go".

Shanks hummed in response, as the younger one came back to his reading.

They had their personal cabin now, everything was different. Well they had once shared it with the Minks, hell even with Momonosuke for a whole month before Roger understood their private space wasn't a secluded room for the children on the Oro Jackson. Well now they were headed for the soon to be Laughtale, and that so craved privilege of privacy wouldn't have mattered anymore once they were definitively off the ship.

At that thought Shanks met a sudden lack of breath. Maybe that was the right time to admit he was having second thoughts about going away from Buggy and start his own crew. He knew now was perhaps already too late, and that maybe he was just getting cold feet: it was not meant to be easy, to leave behind his whole life and everything he'd ever loved.

He'd just opened his mouth, when the clown threw the book to the side of the room, laid on his back and cupped his whole face looking like he would scream at any moment.  
Instead Buggy let out a disgruntled moan, as he dragged his fingers down on his face.

"What happened?" Shanks, who during all that movement had let go off his friend, went sitting, and looked rather worried in that sweaty face of his. 

Buggy shot him a hopeless look.  
"He died, he's dead".

Shanks glanced over to the book on the ground, then got up in silence and went to fetch it. The cover was barely attached to the rest, and the pages were wiggly, obviously exposed both to sunlight and water. It was a miracle it was still all in one piece.  
"How did he die?" he assumed Buggy was talking about the main character; that or some whale he'd grown attached to.

Looking as devastated as Michelangelo's Pietà (really there isn't a better metaphor), the younger one waited for Shanks to sit back at his side, just to rest the head on his lap. His locks spread around in a messy cloud the redhead enjoyed very much.

"It's not fair, before he was absolutely fine and now he's sick. They made him a coffin, a COFFIN! They even let him try it to see if it was comfortable".

Shanks squinted, as he searched for that chapter CX.  
"Why?".

Buggy fixed his eyes on the focused expression Shanks was pulling off. He couldn't help but wonder how his features would change once an adult. To battle once every couple of years felt not enough all out of the sudden.  
"He... He wanted a coffin that could permit him to voyage trough the arcipelago in the sky" Buggy knew Shanks had never been interested in his reading, thus tried to keep his rant as small as possible. "For you see, stars in his culture are like islands, and the Milky Way... It's like a last adventure, that's all".

To be fair that sounded impressive, almost romantic to Shanks' ears.  
"In which page did he die again?".

Buggy kept gazing at the build of the redhead's bare torso.  
"He's not dead yet, I mean he's practically dead, but I still haven't read the sentence that draws the line".

The older one immediately put the book aside.  
"So he's not dead, you can't know yet!" he said with a little to much emphasis.

Before Buggy could snap anything about how he was right and Shanks was wrong, the redhead kept going.  
"And who is this guy anyways?".

"He's-" it looked as though the clown didn't want to share for some reason, "he's the protagonist's husband, or best friend, I don't know it's complicated, even I don't get it" he drew his hand to the book on the ground, but Shanks was quicker this time around.

"Wait" he said, a smirk plastered on his face, as he held the story up in the air- where Buggy could still absolutely reach for it, if he really wanted to-, "Buggy could it be you're worried about me?".

"WHAT?" an expression of panic, along with a furious blush spread on the boy's face.

"Aw that's so sweet of you!" he kept teasing. He didn't stop even when Buggy stood on his knees and engaged a proper fight. Of course he could have detached one hand to grab the book without a problem, but what was the fun in that?  
In the end, the younger one managed to push Shanks on the pavement, down on his back and seemingly unable to stop laughing.  
Buggy, astride the redhead's waists, completely ignored the very specific nature of that position, and definitively snatched the book away from his hands.

"What the hell! You're not my husband... nor my best friend". That last one was perhaps a bit to much, but by the falsely shocked expression Shanks pulled off, the younger boy understood he hadn't hurt him in any way. What a relief.

"HA!" Shanks pointed an accusatory index right in Buggy's face; red strands on his forhead swinging around due to the sudden movement. "You liar! I'm most definitively your best friend around here".

How could someone that obnoxious, and sticky look that cute was something Buggy never managed to wrap his mind around.  
"No Shanks, you're not my best friend" he didn't even wait to see his reaction, "you're my boyfriend, it's different".

The sudden blush and the obvious freeze were the kind of unspoken answers the younger one found so much amusing.

"Well now" he rolled down to Shanks' side, enjoying the quiet gasp the redhead let out at the sudden movement.

"Let's see who was right" The clown said, as he opened back his book.

It took him a couple of minutes to rise his head again in the older boy's direction.  
"He survived".

Shanks would have liked to smile, but couldn't.  
"Told you" he managed to rant, eyes half closed, a pool a sweat underneath him.

"Buggy please move it's to hot in here".

* * *

****-Oh shut it!** **

****-You wanna tell me how it ended?** **

****-I got time, why not.** **

**Author's Note:**

> Because I started reading Moby Dick in 2018 and I'm almost over.  
> But every time I go on a bit I find aspects that Buggy or Shanks would love (in my opinion) and feel the urge to write.
> 
> I wrote this so that I could finish that story at last.  
> 


End file.
